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14/12/2013

Wizards vs Aliens Season 2

The
children’s drama series co-created by Russell T Davies returns for its
sophomore season with renewed intent. The opening story `100 Wizards` feels sharper and more self-assured and if some of
the same drawbacks remain, at least matter s are propelled at a speed that
allows the viewer not to notice. Tom Clarke in particular seems to have had a
burst of wizard energy and become a far better written and played character who
now justifies Scott Haran’s position as lead of the show. Unlike much of the
first season where he was outshone by others Haran is front and centre with a
more nuanced character who has clearly learned from his experiences and feels
emboldened. There is both light and shade; a budding romance with fellow wizard
Chloe is perfectly played and contrasts with his new found defiance against the
Nekross. Thus there is also a much sparkier relationship between Tom and Benny reflecting
their developing friendship.

Phil
Ford’s lively script makes the best of the series’ insistence on using the
Nekross every story by devising an ambitious plan worthy of their place. It is
predictable to some extent – who didn’t know that Chloe’s `agent` was a Nekross
in disguise- but not in others especially when the aliens’ plan is fully unveiled.
It also has a strong sting in the tail at the end – a simple final shot that
proves to be one of the most powerful this series has so far managed. One major
issue remains with the Nekross King an enormous prosthetic voiced by Brian
Blessed which just does not look convincing enough to match the standard of
other effects. Perhaps if it wasn’t lit so brightly it might look better but at
the moment it detracts in a manner that surely even the youngest viewers will
find silly rather than dangerous.
Much of the dialogue suggests a wizard community ready to be more proactive
with rousing intent though Ford rather kindly allows Tom’s un enchanted father
to inspire the gathering to take action allowing Michael Higgs the chance
to be more than a character who looks on to one side.

`Vice Versa` heralds the
Hobbledyhoy, a sort of “head with feet” that speaks only in rhyming couplets
and which causes the principal characters to swap attributes. Hence Tom becomes
a brainiac while Benny is able to do magic. Not only that but Ursula and
Nekross prince Varg also swap and the results provide a highly entertaining
romp. Writer Clayton Hickman manages a delicate balance between making
interesting comparisons with moments of both verbal and physical comedy. This
type of plot is often used in sci-fi / fantasy and gives the cast a chance to
loosen up and temporarily escape the confines of their character and it’s in
this aspect that all four excel here.
Scott Haran’s interpretation of Benny’s genius is spot on while Percelle Ascot
is excellent as Benny accustoms himself to using magic. Hickman seems to
suggest it is the latter character who gains the most thrill from it though it
also provides Tom with a new perspective on his friend. Save for one extremely
cheesy line near the end the dynamic between the two sparks very well. Jefferson
Hall has a great time as Varg gradually takes on Ursula’s mannerisms and
flounders about the Nekross ship for some reason creating chickens whenever he
uses magic. We’re not told why but it’s actually a funny motif. As for Annette
Badland she relishes toughening up and showing her aggressive side.
The Hobbledyhoy itself is a just about passable puppet though it’s resemblance
to some children’s toy does add something to its mischievousness. The
character’s attempts to rhyme are amusing too.
Like some of the best scripts for The Sarah
Jane Adventures, the denouement relies on brain power and words as much as
it does action and as it should be the viewer is disappointed when people have
to change back. This story could be something from which the series producers
can also gain a new angle as it shows they don’t really give either lead actor
enough variation from their standard magic is cool / science genius type and
it’s nice to see some of their school mates too even if they do only get a
handful of lines. It was starting to look as if these two never actually went
to school any more.

The uneven third story `The Cave of Menla-Gto` seems unsure how
to pitch. For every serious reflection on the wizards’ life there is a
contrasting bout of silliness and the two don’t meld well. Entertaining though
it is to see Randall Moon outside his and Benny’s sojourn seems far too jokey
and stately given the dire danger we are continually reminded of by the others
in Tibet. This jars because Benny seems too willing to muck about when he knows
how little time there is. The philosophical side of the tale works much better
though once the family arrive at the famed cave people seem to start making
speeches rather than having conversations. It’s noticeable too that the Clarke
family appear to be playing an increasingly prominent role in wizard-kind life
and you wonder what all the other wizards are up to on a regular basis. Are
they all a bit useless?

`The Curse of Crowe` is where the season starts to get seriously good. It works
because of the time the characters have spent together and is a satisfying, beautifully
rendered tale of friendship. Tom and Benny are split up by a spell cast by a
wizard girl called Gemma Raven, whose mother will otherwise be drained of her
magic by the Nekross. Thus the two friends revert to their initial position
from the start of the first season only Tom has also forgotten he is a wizard.
As if this wasn’t enough meaty drama, writer Gareth Roberts adds in the notion
that, due to the way the spell is cast using a drop of Ursula’s blood, if the
two boys’ relationship is rekindled, she will vanish and become a Never Was, a
concept conveyed by way of a silent grey face in the wilderness.
It’s a terrific premise and everyone delivers 100% to live up to it. Both Scott
Haran and Percelle Ascot have never been better as their characters’ reversion
comes with feelings of isolation and perhaps a distant memory of the truth.
Roberts’ central idea is that friendship is stronger than magic and when this finally
turns out to be true it is in a subtle, emotional scene as good as you’ll see
in any children’s drama. It’s up to – and perhaps even beyond- the standard of
some of those excellent Sarah Jane
Adventures stories which is a height I’m not sure this series has until
reached until now.
Both episodes also show a refreshing sense of development. The sense of time
passing that flashbacks give is backed up by narrative acknowledgment of the
Nekros’s high rate of failure. It’s also good that we get to see more of both Katie
and Quinn, Tom’s two rarely seen school friends who give the two heroes
something to contrast with and a sense that their lives are more complicated
than just fighting aliens. Despite
Russell T Davies saying the series won’t be going for a love story, I think it
would add a necessary, believable level; after all Tom is supposed to be a16
year old boy and whenever Scott Haran and Manpreet
Bambra share scenes there is clear chemistry. I
love the fact too that Quinn has continued to befriend Benny after his football
exploits a couple of stories ago. There is potential for fun too as they are
such a mis- matched duo with Connor Scarlett giving Quinn a likeable side. There
is plenty of action but this is a story that requires its young audience to
think a little more. For many shows this would be the standout story but wait a
sec….

`The Thirteenth
Floor`
was apparently originally intended for The
Sarah Jane Adventures, and takes Tom and Benny away from their normal
surroundings as they embark on work experience in a high rise office block. If
traces of the other series are present in the more urban surroundings and
–gasp- another creature who is not a Nekross then the writers have successfully
retooled the plot to fit in with the on-going improvement in this series that
the last story established.
People have been going missing in this spot since before the current building
was constructed- it’s a wonder the Doctor hasn’t looked into it! Despite the
fact there seem to be no thirteenth floor, the lift is prone to shuddering,
shaking and taking people there. Upon arrival they find a lush forest
stretching out beyond the doors. It turns out that this is the Neverside, a
magic place previously referenced in the show where normality does not apply
and time moves a lot faster. Sending victims there is a Troll with a large horn
and big teeth, one of which Benny finds on the floor though he disguises
himself as a caretaker. When Benny’s work experience boss goes missing the
mystery kicks off.
If the route that gets Tom to this mysterious location along with a once again
human version of Lexi (who is looking for her vanished brother) is a tad
contrived, it is worthwhile. Last year’s story in which the duo were trapped
together and gained some rapport worked very well, however this time there is
an even more intimate dynamic as they age quickly, have a child and Tom learns
to live without hair product. Both actors bring the best out of each other; Gwendoline
Christie’s humanised Lexi slowly becomes more open and emotional while Scott
Haran is excellent when portraying a much more adult version of his character.
Phil Ford’s nimble domestic narrative even has them becoming parents though the
identity of the stalking beast they keep at bay is less of a surprise to the
attentive viewer. It is an accomplished journey though with a message of making
the best of a situation. The more human Lexi becomes the easier it is for us to
forget those scenes of wizards being drained of their magic and being left as
old people. As she explains this is how she was raised – perhaps Phil Ford is a
vegetarian?
Visually the episode gleams in a sunlit woodland sheen and so it is quite a
wrench for the viewer when rescue eventually comes. While the ending has to
necessarily draw both characters back to their default setting there is a
suggestion that they will remember what happened in some scattered form and the
final scenes are quite emotional ones. So two great stories in a row. Can they
make it a hat-trick?

Course
they can! The ambitious `Endless Night`
adds another level of danger by introducing a peril felt by the whole world
when the Nekross manage to push the Moon closer to the Earth during a partial
eclipse thereby blotting out the Sun completely. Unless all wizards surrender,
the Nekross will keep it there meaning that not only will those daily magic top
ups be unavailable but the weather will become crazy. It’s a big, bold scenario
that would normally be suited to Doctor Who
rather than the comparatively modestly budgeted Wizards vs Aliens. Matters are framed by considerable use of news
footage and effective camera filters. Phil Ford’s script is pitched at just the
right level of jeopardy and some lighter moments (Randall Moon’s reaction to
events is very funny) building to a strong cliffhanger. All the while too, he
references the previous story with both Tom and Lexi having strange dreams
about something they have theoretically forgotten.
These broader flourishes suggest a maturing show that, if it has a third
season, will need to branch out beyond the Nekross threat into other things;
after this gambit it’s hard to see how much more the aliens can do. Kudos too
for director Joss Agnew who manages to achieve the seemingly impossible feat of
making the Nekross King menacing despite all that yellow foam. That it is Benny
who has the idea of how to save the world slots in with the magic versus science
themes earlier this season and the story also ties in with last year’s stone
circle. Having Tom and Lexi needing to work together provides an emotional angle
at the end.
It is the contrasts between the big threat and the small character moments that
make `Endless Night` particularly good. One scene with Tom, Benny, Katie and
Quinn in an empty school sums up everything that needs to be said and spurs Tom
on to make a heroic offer to the Nekross. You might think it’s a scene that
could easily be cut but in some ways it’s the most important one. It is touches
like this that show how well constructed this series has become.

Russell T Davies makes an electrifying return in the
final story of the season `All Out War!”
which really lives up to its moniker. It’s the sort of rip roaring epic with
which he used to conclude each of his Doctor
Who seasons, a full blooded romp that manages to skate over any
narrative anomalies with sheer energy and exhilaration. It is the best Wizards vs Aliens story, indeed in tone
and sheer excitement it surpasses several Doctor
Who stories of the past three years. It is important to say though that
without the build-up that this second season has provided it would not be
nearly as effective. Davies draws together the story strands involving Nekross
familial and political developments, the developing relationship between Tom
and Lexi as well as Tom and Benny. On top of that there are sizzling action
sequences and the best cliffhanger Davies has written since the end of the Doctor Who story `Utopia`. Just for good
measure he blows up most of the Clarke’s house and convinces us he’s killed off
a main character. In achieving this feat he pushes beyond the strictures of
children’s drama into something more mainstream and involving. Very simply it
is just thumping good entertainment and races along so quickly it is heart stopping.Doctor Who watchers will of course notice
several familiar goings on, not least the transformation of Tom into a sort of
super wizard which echoes Rose’s similar fate but it’s the gusto with which
Davies attacks this story that blows you away. Childrens series like this tend
to be a little cosy, a little too unwilling to move on and do anything
significant. This series has tended to do the same though this second season
has added in far more underlying arcs than the first. `All Out War!` manages to
up the stakes and pull away any lingering cosiness. Storylines about Tom and
Lexi’s Neverworld existence, the revolution going on in Nekross and even Tom’s
endlessly cancelled dates with Katie all figure in a series of scenes that pack
in so much material. Davies’ love of cliffhangers is especially evident in a
glorious multi jeopardy end of part 1 which just makes you go `wow`! The budget
is blown on a series of effects shots in space and reducing much of the Clarke
house to ruins
Yet it is his grasp of how human dynamics can shape seemingly overwhelming
situations that he ultimately builds the story on. This is evident everywhere
in part 2 from Ursula’s situation, Benny’s revelation and most of all Tom and
Lexi’s most unusual relationship. I don’t want to say too much because, to
partly paraphrase an old saying, if you only ever watch one Wizards vs Aliens
story make it this one! Who’d have thought that some banana coloured aliens and
a handful of wizards could end up in such a great adventure! They’ve got to do
a third season haven’t they?